paperback scrawls gives
 me many resources to draw from
the man without a jacket,    in this cold?
and a second man, coming  to bum a cig,
    two bums in a row
   a Sean in a seat,  a Nicky at the disco-barn
all of their   malfunctioning spaces   lay

discovered a hair
 line crack in my cast
  iron skillet

thought of Amy's travels


     (the gentler
       asian elephant
        on the off
          white sack
           held together
            w/ red twine)


thought of Fran stocking drinks for John C Reilly
(guy likes juice, her own efforts, fiery)

thought of Tim's dog-beating sauteeing
 
      (I haven't dreamt of the man
       brother we all have faces to put out
       & sides to play
       You've made extra fish!
          extra fish!

thought of Sean's sadness
     (the great quiet
       I shared with you)

thought of Nicky's nuisances
(contra pasta
 she's 18
she's 19)

Paul's posture
chest bared against
the sunset  (all else classified)

Thinking of Neil
in a Chinatown,
any Chinatown.